You Can Make a Difference

There's a slew of injustice in this world. There are people starving, murdered, and living in a hell I hope to never know. I think of these things often and how I can try to make a difference. How can I provoke social change with no money, resources, or means to do so?

It's a fallacy, isn't it? We feel we cannot do anything, yet in our power is the chance to change, to help, and to make a difference —even if it is just with one person.

Sometimes in this life, you feel beat down by the smallest of things — bills, work stress, family stress, and just life in general. It can hold you back. How can you help change the world, how can you make a difference if you can't even pay bills or you struggle with life in general?

There's a mindset that you must help yourself before you help someone else. I have this mindset.

And as I typed that sentence, I paused because my mindset drags me down. It angers me, and after I process those emotions, I become sad.

Perhaps it isn't the world, is it? That perspective is too large. Perhaps it is just the small things.

I was watching a talk show recently. I watched people just like myself do big things for others, even though they didn't really have the means. 

It inspired me.

Today, I opened a notebook given to me by my niece and inside was a message—though small to her, perhaps, it screamed at me through a megaphone. 

She believes in me. She is my number one fan. She wants me to never give up. Her heart is as large as the ocean and her feelings just as deep. She is my inspiration.

The day before, I was chatting with my best friend who asked me to be the aunt of her daughter because she considers me to be her best friend, and I was over the moon elated. She is an amazing person, and I love absolutely everything about her. And the best part is, she believes in me too.

I have another great friend who seems a million miles away, and she knows deep in her heart I will be famous one day. Her tenacious personality inspires me to throw caution to hurricane force winds. I hope one day; I am just like her.

Of course, there is one person who, in this terrible world, reminded me that I am not broken. I am not damaged. I am exactly where I am supposed to be. I am exactly who I am supposed to be. I love him with every ounce of my being because he made me feel whole.

These people helped me see I could also help make a difference one person at a time, whether it be with my writing, my voice, or just small acts of kindness. 

So, no matter how much injustice you see, how much hope is lost, or how you may never think you matter or how you may think you can't, there is someone out there who knows you can.

I am inspired to be who they know I can be. I am inspired to make a difference no matter how small. The people in my life use their words and actions to lift me up, and whether they know it or not, they have made a difference in me so I can make a difference in others.

Lilian is a writer of all things, a lover of animals, and an outdoor enthusiast. Her passions lie in singing, writing, and making others laugh. She enjoys time with her semi-famous dog, Einstein, and her friends and family who swear she's a rock star. Lilian writes about her past, her present, and how she keeps it together. If you would love to learn more, you can find all you need to know at her website.

Thank you for reading.